There is a need for permanent magnet materials in electric motors of many sizes and other electrically powered articles of manufacture. Rare earth element-containing and iron-rich permanent magnets may be useful and relatively inexpensive, particularly when the rare earth element constituent comprises cerium, the most abundant element of the rare earth group. However, there remains a need to develop processes by which compounds of rare earth elements and iron can be prepared in particulate form with desirable permanent magnet properties, and by which said particulates can be consolidated to form useful densified bulk magnets that retain the desirable permanent magnet properties.